The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission oversee compliance with federal laws governing retail store labor practices. According to the National Retail Federation, the average U.S. retail establishment employed 14 workers in 2010. Retailers with 15 or fewer employees should be aware of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Occupational Health and Safety Act. Like all employers, retailers of all workforce sizes, must adhere to the Immigration Reform and Control Act overseen by the Department of Homeland Security.

Fair Labor Standards Act

The Fair Labor Standards Act gives retailers specifics on time-keeping record requirements, paying minimum wage -- $7.25 per hour as of July 2009 -- and employing teens. The FLSA also requires you to pay time-and-a-half to any nonexempt employee who works more than 40 hours in one week. When state law mandates a higher minimum wage than the FLSA, you must pay the state hourly rate. Failure to follow FLSA regulations can lead to steep fines -- as much as $10,000 -- and prosecution.

Nondiscrimination Laws

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 targets discrimination. It states that you cannot base your hiring decisions on gender, skin color, religion, national origin or race. Title VII also requires you to ensure that your store is harassment free. The 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act amendment to Title VII dictates that pregnant women cannot be denied a job or fired due to the condition, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2009 bars employers from using genetic tests to screen new hires. To comply with the Equal Pay Act of 1963, you must pay female employees the same as the men who work for you when their jobs entail the same skill, responsibility and effort. As with FLSA, Equal Pay Act violations carry heavy penalties.

Occupational Health and Safety Act

The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires all employers to display the OSHA workers' rights poster where employees can see it. OSHA safety regulations vary depending on the type of establishment you run. For example, guidelines for beauty salons differ from those for bakeries and jewelry shops due to the different equipment and supplies used. A walk-through of your business can help you identify hazards that put your employees and customers at risk for injuries such as boxes and merchandise that block aisles and exits. The osha.gov website includes a section dedicated to small business safety concerns and links to its small business handbook.

Immigration Reform and Control Act

The Department of Homeland Security requires every employer to verify that its employees are legally permitted to work in the U.S. You must complete and keep on file an Immigration and Naturalization Service Form I-9 for every employee. You can download the I-9 from the agency's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website: uscis.gov. If you are inspected, you face a minimum $110 fine for each missing I-9 form.